Browsing Tag

ambient

Organic Art Folk Serenity Unravels through Matt John Henderson’s ‘Gethsemane’

Posted on 9 November 2024

With his latest single, Gethsemane, the Ambient Avant-Gardist Matt John Henderson nestled into the niche of sonic expressionists with the ability to render catharsis into your rhythmic pulses while intellectually stimulating your mind.

The cinematically quiescent piece uses organic textures and tones to imbue the production in folksy seraphic warmth; his equally as honeyed and honed hushed vocal tones effortlessly complement the minimalist yet intricately eloquent instrumental stylings which pair jazz nuances with artfully delicate motifs that wouldn’t be out of place in Thom Yorke’s remit.

As a precursor to the critically acclaimed artist’s eagerly anticipated album, Lapse in Stillness, Gethsemane is an introspectively entrancing teaser of the serenity which is set to soon follow. The artist’s ability to invite his audience to lose themselves and live between the layers of his sound is second to none; it’s only a matter of time before his name becomes a staple on every editorial ambient playlist on Spotify.

Gethsemane was officially released on November 1st; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Interview with Finger-Style Guitarist Samaël: Exploring the Ancient Civilizations and Contemporary Acoustic Landscapes in ‘Cascadia’

Posted on 4 September 2024

In this interview, we sit down with finger-style guitarist Samaël to discuss his upcoming LP, Cascadia, set for release on September 5th. Samaël shares the mind-bending concept behind the album, which tells the tale of a lost ancient civilization and its lingering entity which lurks through the modern ages.

We also explore his unique creative process, the challenges of being a solo instrumentalist, and how he’s evolved as a musician since his debut album, Shadow. Samaël reflects on the balance between technical skill and emotional storytelling, offering insights into the future of his music career.

Samaël, welcome to A&R Factory! Thanks for sitting down with us to discuss your upcoming sophomore LP, CASCADIA, which is due for release on September 5th. What’s the concept of the LP, and what kind of sonic world does the album open up to listeners? 

The concept of the LP Cascadia is the storyline of an ancient civilization that we lost a long time ago. I’m not saying that’s a true story. I’m just saying that’s a story that inspired me a lot to write this album; the only remnants left of that civilization is an Entity that roams the earth to this day, trapping modern souls in his grip.

This is the storyline that you’ll be able to see in the music video trilogy; part one came out in July. Part two, The Mask, will come out on August 30. So, basically, this new album is a contemporary solo acoustic album which blends minimalism and metal into a fingerpick style.

Can you walk us through the creative process of composing the pieces?

Sure, so basically, I took a drastically different approach to the last album. I composed on software without the guitar in my hand because I felt at that time that my compositions were getting predictable and that I was starting to be stuck in a mould if you will and I didn’t feel like I had my sound yet.

So, I composed something that was purely off of my ears and I was not limited by what I could do or not do technically on the guitar and so that was a creatively rewarding process. However, the problem is that you have to learn the pieces and the more you get ambitious during the composition phase the harder it is to learn and perform them because they become so weird technically for the physical movements of how to play them if that makes sense

Does being a solo instrumentalist feel isolating at times? 

No, not at all, I played in a band for 10 years in Montreal before embarking fully on my finger-full project. There are positives and negatives of being in a band and being a solo musician but what I specifically love about being a solo artist is the independence, autonomy, and full control I have over the creative process. However, solo projects can often feel like a mountain of work that I have to scale alone, but apart from that, I like it, I like his approach.

What other challenges does being a solo artist present? 

I think for me the biggest challenge is what I just hinted at. It’s trying to manage the musical project as a label would as best you can. I compose the music, learn the pieces and practice them to perform live – it can be a lot! I also promote the shows, run marketing campaigns, manage my social media pages, and reach out to publications, so it’s difficult to make sure I don’t forget anything and I am giving myself the best chance possible.

You’ve got an incredibly intricate guitar style, how immense is the pressure to execute each composition flawlessly while playing live? 

Thank you. The pressure was at its highest when I started playing live solo shows. I have played in bands for years, but anyone who has played solo knows that playing in a band and playing by yourself is a whole different experience on stage and you feel you really feel naked. If you’re playing in a band and you make a small mistake on guitar often it does not show, it’s not obvious to the crowd because there are other instruments in the mix, but when I’m by myself, every little detail is heard and missed notes can’t be forgiven. That kind of pressure forces you to really up your game, but I have been doing this for several years at this point so I would say that I am reaching a point of confidence.

Who are your main influences as a guitarist and composer? 

I have a lot to name, but the first artist that pops to mind is Erik; I will be getting the chance to play a concert this summer with him and Antoine Fool as a trio. His music made a huge impact on me years ago; he taught me that sometimes there’s a visual dimension to the music.

As a composer, it’s easy to get carried away with technical aspects, and I speak from personal experience. When I was younger, I often found myself focusing too much on the visual or technical side of things, rather than the core reason we create music—the sound, the emotion, and the story it conveys. I remember hearing a piece for the first time and realising that the musician wasn’t trying to show off his technical prowess, even though he was incredibly skilled. Instead, he was focused on communicating a story with deep emotion through his guitar. That had a profound impact on me. It taught me that sometimes the simplest actions, like playing just two notes, can be more powerful than any technical display. The key is not letting your ego interfere with your creative process.

Your debut album, Shadow, was released in 2018, how have you spent the years between your two LPs? 

Well, Cask took a lot longer to finish than I had anticipated so that definitely took a lot of time but since 2018 a lot has happened since then, when I finished my master’s in musicology in Montreal, I moved back to where I come from in New Brunswick and started working at a music school there; that was my first real experience in the job market after being a full-time student. I also took a lot of time to try to own certain skills that I felt were lacking like, for example, music recording, video editing, and other skills which are really important for a self-employed musician.

What else does the future have in store for Samaël? 

Well, I have several things in mind, I will see how things unfold but just to give you a little glimpse, there won’t be another solo finger-style album in the future. But as I mentioned earlier, I got carried away in the composition process, and when it came to time to learn those pieces it was clear that we needed to retreat to actually learn them because there’s so much going on in the music just for one person. Apart from that, I’d like to start another album with some other artists.

Stream the official video for Samaël’s latest single on YouTube.

Follow Samaël on Facebook, Instagram & TikTok.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Jeff Goldsmith – Before Dawn: Stillness in Electronic Neo-Classic Motion

Posted on 2 September 2024
This Beast by Jeff Goldsmith

Ahead of the release of his This Beast EP, the award-winning Minneapolis film composer and sound designer, Jeff Goldsmith teased the reflective ambience to come with the unveiling of ‘Before Dawn’.

The instrumental score captures the beauty of the stillness before dawn breaks and the humdrum of modernity unfurls. The electronic synthetics reverberate around the softly plaintive keys which keep the momentum quiescently pushing forward through the layers of ethereal reverb which border on ominous as the single progresses reaches a subtle crescendo.

The track then winds back down through an installation of artfully composed neo-classic trip-hop, exhibiting Jeff Goldsmith’s versatility as a musician and engineer. His ability to beguile through electronic sound design fused with treated samples and evocative acoustic instrumentation has earned him several accolades in the industry.

When he’s not composing for the airwaves, he’s scoring soundtracks for horror and thriller films. His most recent project, This Beast, may be a departure from his industrial leanings, but for the sonic sanctuary it delivers, it is more than worth your attention.

Stream and purchase Before Dawn on Bandcamp now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Oh doom! orchestrated a sonic dichotomy in their tone-setting post-rock debut, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad

Posted on 20 July 2024

Oh doom! set the tone for their forthcoming discography with the release of their elegiac debut single, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad; but given the artistic intensity within the inaugural release, expecting the unexpected would be safer.

The release ensues from an ambient post-rock composition filled with art-rock motifs and reverb-drenched choral guitars that pull textures of shoegaze into the production until the track steadily builds in momentum throughout the extended 8-minute duration.

While attention spans may be waning and artists are churning out 2-minute pop tracks left, right, and centre, Oh Doom! exhibited the beauty of foregoing instant hooks for mind-shattering crescendos, cinematically constructed by distorted walls of noise, powerful enough to reverberate right through you.

The kinetic alchemy within All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad is a visceral attestation to the raw, creative power of Oh Doom!, who have the potential to rise to the same heights as Low and Mogwai. Not pedestrian enough for unoriginated post-rock assimilation, the single broadsides with Grandaddy-esque polyphonic synthetics which infiltrate the paradoxically tender yet monolithic production.  Yet, perhaps the most striking beauty in the single lies in how, regardless of the intensity of the instrumentals, the pensively diaphanous vocals maintain imperturbable innocent serenity.

From the ashes of frenetically-paced projects, Oh doom! banded together to filter hope into despair in their releases which utilise spatial effects to let emotion manifest between the notes. As the first single from the debut EP, set for release on July 26, All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad became an irrefutable sign of even bigger things to come from the North London/Hertfordshire band.

All Our Songs Are Slow and Sad was officially released on July 5; stream the single on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

António Sá – Partition_Monolog: An Ambient Immersion into Digital Reflection

Posted on 4 July 2024

António Sá’s debut LP, CACHE 01, presents Partition_Monolog, a track that immerses listeners in subtle cerebral reflections, a tonality of transcendence and syncopated spectres of futurism.

The soundscape within the concept LP, which explores how memories are increasingly digitised, subdues the listener into a profound state of catharsis while pondering what it means to be human when our autonomy is increasingly enmeshed with the artificial artifices of technology.

António Sá, an artist, producer, and sound engineer, efficaciously utilised spatial effect within his diaphanously lush downtempo progressions which are shrouded in an aura of deep reticent thought. Partition_Monolog invites you to lose yourself in its sonic world, invite ambience into your psyche, and join the visionary as he follows his muse through unchartered territory.

The CACHE 01 album, released under Diffuse Reality Records, brings a fresh perspective to the electronic music scene. It speaks volumes of the Portuguese-based originator’s talents and ability to awaken the imagination within his evocatively euphonic scores.

Partition_Monolog is now available to stream on Spotify with the rest of António Sá’s debut LP.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Primary Phase Principle has unveiled their cerebral post-industrial fable, The Subdued Mechanist

Posted on 12 June 2024

Taken from the debut EP, Echoes of the Mechatronic Age, the standout post-industrial electronica score, The Subdued Mechanist, from the Winnipeg-hailing solo artist, The Primary Phase Principle, paradoxically pacifies the senses while heightening emotions to such a visceral extent, it is almost primal.

The concept EP implants listeners in a fictional civilisation which depends on a universal mechanism they can no longer fully understand to deliver the ultimate parable of the AI-dominated future we are sleepwalking into.

The atmospherically filmic ambience of The Subdued Mechanist cerebrally alludes to Orson Welles’ belief that there is no confidence equal to sheer ignorance; it’s a liberating, quasi-Stoic score that holds a mirror to humanity and its willingness to evolve beyond its own comprehension.

By pouring influence of NIN, How to Destroy Angels and Tangerine Dream through a science fiction lens, The Primary Phase Principle unlocked the narrative power of post-industrial. He has a superlative gift in his ability to chronicle immersive fables simply through juxtapositions of harsh mechanical synthetics and crystalline flashes of enlightenment. His EP is so much more than just another addition to the airwaves, it’s a beacon of higher consciousness.

Stream The Subdued Mechanist on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nim – Avalon: An Expansively Intimate Exploration of Dystopic Ennui

Posted on 12 March 2024

Nim’s latest single, ‘Avalon’, is a testament to his evolution as a multi-instrumentalist and sound designer. From the outset, the track immerses listeners in a world where ambient electronica melds seamlessly with a cinematic synthesis of post-rock and trip-hop. The minor key arrangement, rich in ambient textures, sets an ethereal yet intensely emotive tone to maintain a melancholic undercurrent without becoming overwrought.

The lush reverb sugars the pill of the dystopic ennui, while the desolation in the vocals is so laden with solitude they feel as if they are reaching out from the vastness of space, seeking connection in their isolation.

Nim’s background as a pianist and singer is evident in the meticulous construction of ‘Avalon’. The track defies easy categorisation, drifting through the realms of post-rock, trip-hop, and ambient IDM with a fluidity that speaks to his versatility. The introduction of a trappy backbeat, both solid and glitchy, adds an unexpected yet mellifluous twist, intensifying the track’s introspective mood.

Hit play and journey through Nim’s dystopian vision, where the feel of the music takes precedence and the haunting exploration of malaise resonates long after the last note fades.

Stream Avalon on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

millar explored the depths of ‘atlantis’ in her oceanic indie-pop release

Posted on 6 March 2024

With her latest single, atlantis, the London-based singer-songwriter, millar, plunges listeners into the depths of dream pop with a finesse that speaks volumes of her innovative approach as an ethereal architect of sound.

The track, resonant with themes of introspection and emotional depth, is unparalleled in the indie dream pop landscape. millar’s craftsmanship in blending indie sensibilities with ambient leftfield electronica creates a soundscape as expansive as the ocean itself. The synth lines in “atlantis” don’t just play; they oscillate with a rhythm that mimics the ebb and flow of tides, drawing listeners into a melodious undercurrent.

The lyrics of “atlantis” speak of being out of depth, exploring the worlds within ourselves. It’s a theme that resonates deeply, particularly in an era where introspection has become more significant. millar’s voice acts as a guide through this introspective journey. It’s as if she’s leading us through our own emotional landscapes, mirroring the song’s narrative of self-discovery.

And when the song fades, leaving listeners coming up for air, the impact of millar’s artistry becomes undeniable. Just like every time we hear her, we can’t wait to hear what’s next.

atlantis was officially released on January 12th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Def Ember synthesised the future into retro melodies in their expansively fusionistic track, Quiddity

Posted on 27 February 2024

Def Ember’s latest seminal release, ‘Quiddity‘, from their double A-side single established the aural alchemist as a forerunner of genre-obliterating innovation. Released on January 26th, this track is a bold venture into unchartered melodic waters. Known for their genre-fluid approach, the Los Angeles-based artist ensured ‘Quiddity’ stands out with its warm meandering rhythms that guide listeners through a serenely dynamic soundscape.

The track skillfully balances a solid, kicking backbeat with mellifluous synth lines and soulfully arresting guitar licks, creating a mesmerising contrast that you can lose yourself in time after time without any of the magic in the polished production getting lost. While the synths bring a touch of nostalgia, the other layers in this smorgasbord of style push the release into the future.

The layered synthetics add depth and complexity without overwhelming the rhythmic pulses, thanks to the track’s meticulous construction and sci-fi-esque ambience. It’s a track that doesn’t just play to the ears but engages the soul, marking an exciting chapter in the artist’s evolving musical journey.

Stream the latest release from Def Ember on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get in Rhythm with Katerpilla’s Latest Electronica Dreamscape, Shadow Dance

Posted on 3 February 2024

Shadow Dance, a pivotal track from Katerpilla’s latest LP, Sneaking in a Dream, is synthesised sugar for the pill; an aural antidote for the frenetic momentum of the modern era, which defies the conventional boundaries of electronica.

Katerpilla, known offstage as Matthew Chamberlain, weaved a minimalist yet profoundly intricate soundscape that both challenges and seduces the listener; it’s a sophisticated interplay of rhythm and melody.  The genius of Shadow Dance lies in its ability to marry the mechanical with the melodic. Katerpilla’s architectural background shines through in his meticulous construction of sound. Each note and beat is carefully placed, creating a structure that is as robust as it is ethereal.

Sneaking in a Dream signifies a bold step forward from Katerpilla’s debut, Chase the City. While the essence of his creative process remains – the fusion of sounds from diverse synths – there’s a noticeable shift towards a more refined, less layered approach. This stripped-back style results in a darker, more immersive sound, distinct in its genre.

Shadow Dance is a testament to Katerpilla’s skill as a producer. His superlative ability to submerge his audience into hypnotic introspection is unrivalled.  It’s a piece that doesn’t just resonate; it transcends, marking Katerpilla as a visionary artist in a genre that thrives on innovation.

Katerpilla’s new album, Sneaking in a Dream, will be available to stream on all major platforms from February 2nd. Stream it on SoundCloud first.

Review by Amelia Vandergast